Social Media

The daily commute often entails encounters with the unavoidable characters that put their bags on seats, shout down their phones or even the infamous noise leakage that plagues headphones of all varieties as your fellow passenger seem to have a distinct lack of self-awareness which could easily cause irritation if you were to allow it.

However, your body might have to be stuck on that rush hour train but your mind can be transported anywhere that you wish, you could be more productive by answering emails before you arrive in the office, but recently I found myself with a much more exciting proposition that involved sharpening my detective skills to help solve a murder case from back in Baltimore County in 1999.

Although I’m a little late to the party, many of you reading this will know that I am talking about a podcast called Serial which is a spin-off from This American Life that became the fastest podcast to reach 5 million downloads back in November.

The show is hosted by Sarah Koenig and focusses on the murder of a high school student Hae Min Lee and her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed who was charged and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, but has always protested his innocence.

Although a simple idea, the podcast has captured the imaginations of people all over the world as each episode reveals more information surrounding the murder case and as a listener, you find your opinion veers between different verdicts as witnesses contradict each other, but it is equally testament to the structure of the storytelling which often feels like a real life version of the HBO show True Detective.

Commuters turned into amateur crime sleuths and also flocked in their droves toReddit to discuss the case and even post photos from the crime scene to help others, leaving some on the ball marketers to ask the questions about the need for a podcast strategy.

We may have fond memories of the term ‘Podcast’ from 10 years ago before the days of cutting the cord and when an iPod was the must have gadget but the masses never really embraced podcasting as much as I had hoped.

However, over the years there has been a steady increase of how we consume material and Podcasts have been steadily increasing under the radar of the mainstream press, so maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised that a big hit has arrived and opened everyone’s eyes as it hit the mainstream.

The prospect of using a real life case as entertainment might be too macabre for some, but there is no denying that this global phenomenon is revolutionising the medium of the humble podcast and how it is being used for a growing audience who have been binge listening to this audio series in the same way they would a TV show box-set such as The Wire.

Even though, the series finished in December, word of mouth continues to ensure that there are daily stories from various news outlets speaking of alibis, reopening of the case, movie adaptations and even memorabilia.

With years on the outskirts, it seem that Serial and it’s 20 million plus listeners have transported Podcasts into the mainstream and the same people that were telling everyone they need to watch Breaking Bad are now listening to an audio show that blends both the old and new methods of storytelling together.

Tech and media journalist Simon Owens recently interviewed both Audible and Penguin Random House and discussed the effect the current podcast boom is having on audiobooks. They agreed that both audiobooks and podcasts are benefiting from an audio explosion and that both mediums are expanding the market for each other:

Ironically the technology that empowers people all over the world to enjoy a modern way of working is also allowing a whole new generation to enjoy a renaissance of storytelling that was loved by our grandparents.

As listeners are left obsessing over whether Adnan Syed is guilty or not, it seems that dinner parties and water coolers all over the world will be frequented by people asking the question Who killed Hae Min Lee?

Twitter has upset many of its users recently by confirming that Tweets from people that you do not follow will begin to appear on your personal timeline causing somewhat of a backlash online due to the changes to the ‘favourite’ button on the popular social network.

The move has baffled many users who are already turning away from sites like Facebook due to the lack of control on their own timeline that has quickly become irrelevant after being bombarded with one too many adverts, but many felt that Twitter offered an alternative edgier experience.

Twitter was built on a reputation of being a network where you can customise your timeline so the only material you see is relevant, but it seems that the powers that be are eager to introduce change and ensure the platform continues to grow and evolve.

Additionally, when we identify a Tweet, an account to follow, or other content that’s popular or relevant, we may add it to your timeline. This means you will sometimes see Tweets from accounts you don’t follow. We select each Tweet using a variety of signals, including how popular it is and how people in your network are interacting with it. Our goal is to make your home timeline even more relevant and interesting.

Users resistance to change has long plagued social media sites such as Facebook and the all familiar backlash has turned into a joke over the years due to the the same people who complained about the previous improvements can often be seen 12 months later, campaigning to keep the same same changes they originally hated, but this Twitter story is different as it appears they do not understand how people use their own service.

The Twitter favourite button for example has many different uses, many users will use the button as a sort of bookmark tool so they can save something of interest to refer back to whilst also use it to acknowledge a comment at the end of a conversation. (more…)

Welcome to the world of clickbait, where a misleading headline over promises and under-delivers. Hopefully you will accept my sincere apologies for using the same kind of headline that many websites use without remorse.

During the last few years, sites such as BuzzFeed, Cracked, Upworthy and even the Huffington Post have enjoyed fantastic success by using this content marketing strategy that is both effective and infuriating at the same time. I am of course referring to what a growing number of people affectionately call click-bait.

This much maligned strategy will concentrate on the headline rather than the article content itself to draw you in and convince you to click on that link to read more. This general philosophy goes against everything you have learned by concentrating on sensationalising, exaggerating over-promising on the content of an article via a tiny headline so you can increase your traffic stats to boost advertising revenues.

Personally, I find incredibly short-sighted that sites can enjoy quick success by constantly under delivering and disappointing their readers, but what do I know, I have used the same technique in my own article, so I’m unable to take the moral high ground this time.

Although the most successful websites online at the moment are using clickbait, how long until we all say enough is enough of this fad?

I must confess that I feel utterly ashamed of myself when I see that familiar controversial headline claiming to contain ground breaking news, only to be left crestfallen in the corner of a dark room repeating “why do I fall for this every time?” (more…)

Traditionally hotels have bombarded customers with information about their accommodation or brand, but the harsh reality is their customers are no longer listening to these messages; they now have a spam box full of messages that are almost identical with their constant self-promotion which turns into a white noise of sorts that people have now learned to ignore.

Rather than being informed from the brand themselves, customers now want to hear a genuine opinion from another customer with a trusted and authentic voice in this digital age of online customer reviews.

The customer now has the power over the brand, which is forcing businesses to step up their game and work with their customers but there are growing reports of some websites/retailers trying to prevent those pesky negative online reviews from ever appearing online.

Although I have witnessed first-hand how some websites actually refuse to authorise poor reviews, nothing could compare to the catastrophic attempt by the Union Street Guest House in New York who allegedly advised its customers that a wedding party would be fined $500 if any guest left a negative review of the establishment. However this would dropped upon deletion of the negative review.

Please know that despite the fact that wedding couples love Hudson and our inn, your friends and families may not. … If you have booked the inn for a wedding or other type of event … and given us a deposit of any kind … there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review … placed on any internet site by anyone in your party.

Once upon a time, life was much simpler and as soon as you were armed with an education, you were unleashed into the world and free to choose from a profession of your choice, you could stay in the same role for 30 years and then take a nice early retirement package, or so the fairy-tale goes.

However life now is very different and even if you have just reached your 40 birthday, the reality is that you will probably have to work at least another 30 years without the security blanket of a “Job for life” but in many ways this will make you a much more rounded individual with a toolbox full of unique skillsets that will ensure you tackle any situation.

Unemployment is never a nice topic to discuss but job seekers could be facing their toughest challenge yet in the near future with the predicted rise of the robots.

Before you scoff and shout at the screen that this is nothing but a bunch of sci-fi nonsense, take a look at the Oxford Martin School study that suggests nearly half of US jobs could be at risk of computerisation in the future.

However to be honest, we have all seen this coming as the not so glamourous and time consuming tasks are already becoming automated in our own work places and we probably all know someone that has been affected by these changes.

A quick look at hotel called Yotel in New York not only has a self-check-in kiosk’s but also features world’s first hotel robotic luggage handler.

Whatever your views on the controversial subject, we can all agree that if your reality is spending the next 50 years in the workplace, you need to invest in yourself and ensure you adapt and change to the world around you, so let’s take a look how you can help yourself prepare for the future dominated by robots and automation.

1. Embrace Technology

The cold hard truth is the grumpy technophobe has a rocky road ahead of them, unless they change their ways and embrace the technology that surrounds us all, make no mistake life will become increasingly more difficult.

Although we don’t all like to admit it, we are ruled by technology as we become increasingly reliant on our internet connection, even your humble kitchen appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and even vacuum cleaners are now coming with Wi-Fi options, whilst your infant child knows their way around an iPad perfectly so it’s time to raise your game. (more…)

The battleground of the ubiquitous free Wi-Fi is heading for an interesting transitional period, in one corner we have the customer who expects a constant internet connection wherever they are, they really don’t care how difficult or expensive this is to deliver and why should they?

However in the other corner there are the businesses that have to invest heavily to ensure their customers have a positive experience.

There needs to be a compromise in which both parties can be happy with the outcome and early indications seem to suggest that the up and coming trend of ‘Social Wi-Fi’ might just have a very bright future.

The concept behind social Wi-Fi is that business will invest heavily into providing an internet connection for their customers and in return they must sign-in via their chosen social network website such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, or by completing a form. In doing so they are able to capture details of their customers and promote your business to their online friends.

This opens up many possibilities for store owners and here in the UK, Purple Wi-Fi are leading the way with their that purple portal that gives their users access to its presence analytics, this allows businesses to understand who is visiting and using their hotspot, how long they are online, as well as their age, gender and any other relevant information that they offer in their social networking profile. (more…)

Booking hotels has always been somewhat of a mine field and in many ways it has become an even more complicated experience thanks to sites such as Trip Advisor, where you end up scrolling through hundreds of reviews and taking more notice of the 5 negative reviews than the 200 positive posts, trying desperately to work out if they are written by difficult or unreasonable people that sit in their room complaining rather than enjoying the location itself.

What are your requirements when booking a hotel? Location, hotel rating, hair dryer, coffee making facilities, mini bar, breakfast, gym, swimming pool or some nice little bottles of toiletries in the bathroom? Our online addiction has ensured there is new front runner of what we expect from our hotel of choice and I am of course referring to the “Wi-Fi” preferably of the free variety.

However, anyone that has taken advantage of the infamous free Wi-Fi will have been burned by establishments who have heavily throttled their network which results in a frustrating experience if you are trying to view a video on You Tube or movie on Netflix only to constantly see the words buffering as you feel the rage within building like Bruce Banner.

Although we all like to embrace a form of digital detox when away from our daily routine, the truth is technology is now ingrained into everything that we do and take an online connection for granted, to suddenly find yourself in a hotel room cut off from everything you know can be a disheartening experience.

Step forward Hotel Wi-Fi Test who encourages its users to test the Wi-Fi of hotels and record the results along with the location to its growing database allowing future guests to see just how good or bad an internet connection actually is

The site can automatically remove any hotel offering under 2Mbps to give you confidence that uploading your photos or streaming of video will remain unaffected during your stay.

We’ve heard your cry for fast and reliable hotel Wi-Fi and decided to motivate hotels to step up their game. We believe we can get hotels worldwide to re-evaluate their Wi-Fi service, and make improvements that will provide guests with the quality service they expect from the moment they make their reservation.

Our mobile devices can typically achieve average speeds of around 1.7Mb on 3G, depending on the strength of the signal, so most would expect this kind of speed as standard and struggle to see the relevance of connecting to a free Wi-Fi service offering a throttled 1Mb connection that ultimately ends in a negative experience. (more…)

As consumers we all know exactly how we want to be treated, we are all unique individuals who expect human interaction in this digital world of endless communication possibilities. I believe it’s fair to say that as digital natives we all understand how engaging customers, building an authentic community with strong relationships with your audience and obeying the golden rule of befriending your customers rather than bombarding them with selling messages is becoming paramount.

However, for many years businesses have made it increasingly difficult for their own customers to reach them, which goes against all of these basic modern principles, so it should be of no surprise that there has been a dramatic shift of frustrated users turning to social media channels to voice their concerns knowing that a public facing forum is their only chance of being heard. How did this happen?

Call Centre Hell

The infamous ‘helpline’ in loathed by most and although businesses have put in place a process to ensure that calls are routed to the right department in order to cut down on call waiting times, the customer experience is not one that anyone would want to repeat any-time soon.

If you are wise enough to successfully navigate through the average helpline menu system, your reward is to be treated by someone who typically appears to be reading from a script complete with an over long robotic salutation before moving on to the irrelevant closure speech.

For example, at the end of a call to my internet provider where an engineer would be required to visit, I was asked “Is there anything I can do to enhance your online experience?” As I was unable to get online, you can imagine the growing frustration.

Auto Response E-Mails

If the idea of phone menu’s and scripts are your idea of hell, your next traditional step would be to send an e-mail to the company you are experiencing problems with. (more…)

There is a lack of available regulated qualifications in Social Media as any course or qualification would be out of date by the time it hit the training room and this has led to a growing number of opportunists with self-proclaimed titles such as Social Media Expert, Master or even the cringe-inducing “Social Media Guru”.

Sure there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of the changing landscape, but the worrying trend with these new self-proclaimed job titles is they automatically suggest that the individual has mastered and understands everything. However the actual reality is that the brave new digital world is constantly changing and evolving, which ultimately means you can never truly master every Social Network, so there are no experts.

Originally brands jumped on board the Social Media with a simple recipe of success which consisted of creating a Facebook business page followed by a Twitter presence and finally build up a following of fans, some even opted for a short-cut of purchasing fans/followers for an impressive following ratio. (more…)

Possibly the most important aspect of any business these days, is their corporate reputation, the speed in which people now communicate allows any negative customer experience to not only be magnified but presented in front of millions of potential customers.

Most guides from industry thought leaders are currently dispensing the same advice that is simply “engaging your audience is paramount to success” but this is not always as easy as it sounds, especially if a business had taken the infamous short-cut a few years ago by purchasing fans or followers.

Your followers will quickly dash for the exit sign and the un-follow button you if you constantly spam their news-feed with self-promotion and if you are honest, you would do exactly same on your own personal timeline, so your mission is to simply create or curate interesting content that will inform or offer something of value to your customers, without trying to sell them anything and whilst being friendly and entertaining. If that sounds like a great deal of work to juggle, you also need to ensure that you respond to every comment from your customers. (more…)

about.me

Neil Hughes is a freelance writer, ghostwriter and copywriter who writes engaging and often viral content primarily focused on technology, social media or personal productivity related blog posts that are aimed at being genuinely useful to readers.

UK based with international experience of researching a wide array of topics to ensure content is delivered before deadlines so that you know you are in safe hands.

Examples of his work can be found on his LinkedIn publishing page where articles have received over 400,000 views and regularly feature on the Pulse news feed.